1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal storage/release system, and in particular to a thermal storage/release system for storing or releasing latent heat energy using porous members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A latent heat storage system, as one of the heat storage systems, uses latent heat generated according to phase transition (for example water to/from ice) of a thermal storage material, and it can be divided into a type of system for congealing or melting phase transition material used as the thermal storage material around a heat exchanger tube and into a type of system for storing and releasing heat energy generated by the phase transition of thermal storage material contained in a sealed casing.
In any system, the distance between a heat transfer surface (tube wall surface or surface of the sealed casing) and a phase transition boundary surface is increased according to the progress of phase transition, and the heat transfer resistance due to the presence of thermal storage material filled between the surfaces is increased.
Accordingly, according to the progress of congelation or melting of the thermal storage material, the congelation speed or the melting speed is lowered, and therefore the heat storage and release efficiencies are lowered.